Campbell Talks, Libba Loses

Posted on: 4/16 at 11:12pm ET

In one of the most talked about incidents in years, Tiger Wayne Campbell told the tribunal about Libba.

G'Day Footy Fans -

TIGEER TALKS, LIBBA LOSESIn what is probably one of the most talked about incidents and Tribunal hearings since Alistair Lynch's hearings over his use of DHEA to combat CFS and could be a major talking point for some time to come, Tiger captain Wayne Campbell broke the unwritten code of silence and told the hearing that he saw Tony Liberatore flatten Matthew Knights. The investigations began on Monday and Tuesday when it was discovered that the goal-end camera was not recording and that there was no video of the off-the-ball incident. Knights stated he was not sure who hit him. At a hastily arranged press conference on Monday, Liberatore read a prepared statement, saying he only raised his arm in self-defence when he saw Knights running toward him. He also apologized to Knights, who required several stitches from the gash he received from the hit. Initially, Campbell denied he saw what happened, but after lengthy discussions with club officials, he decided it was time to take a stand. The assistant coaches from both clubs were also called as witnesses as they were both in the stands observing play for their respective clubs. Also called were several members of the Richmond medical staff. The damning evidence given resulted in Libba being suspended for 5 matches. This was the 6th time in 3 years that Libba has faced the Tribunal. Last year he was fined $2000 for abusive language, in 1999 he was suspended 3 games for clawing Brisbane's Craig McRae. From that same round, he was cleared of kicking Lion Michael Voss, in 1998 he was cleared of scratching Brisbane's Steve Lawrence, but was suspended one game for striking Adelaide's Peter Caven in the preliminary final.

The fact that Campbell spoke up was a major debating point afterward as a number of people have commented on the issue. Kangaroo captain Wayne Carey and Coach Denis Pagan are still of the belief that "what happens on the field, stays on the field." Others in agreement are Sydney's Andrew Dunkley, and, it seems, captain Paul Kelly, Kelly, himself, was a Liberatore victim several years ago, but refused to speak out. Dunkley stated that if something didn't get picked up on video that it should be leg go. Sydney Coach Rodney Eade said the image of the game was more important than protecting players guilty of cowardly acts. Pagan believes that speaking up could lead to a feud situation and expressed sympathy for Liberatore, saying the media attention before the Tribunal hearing made it difficult for him to have a fair chance. Pagan coached Liberatore in the U-19 competition. And the aftermath of all this continued right up to this weekend, with the two club presidents having their say, as well as Bulldog Coach Terry Wallace. Wallace denied claims that his players were instructed to deliberately target opposition players. Bulldog president David Smorgon lashed out at Richmond president Clinton Casey after the latter claimed his player had been "king hit" by Liberatore. Casey also accused Smorgon and Coach Terry Wallace of condoning Libba's actions and said that the press conference was a sham to allow the Bulldogs to come up with the self-defence story. Smorgon lashed out at Casey, saying the statements were defamatory and insulting. Wallace also said he was offended by Casey's remarks. The Bulldog president has gone so far as to seek legal advice for a possible suit and has called on the AFL to censure Casey for his remarks. The AFL is reviewing Casey's prematch speech. After this round was completed, Melbourne president Joe Gutnick called on both Casey and Smorgon to sit down together, work out their differences, put and put the incident behind them for the good of all the clubs. He even went so far as to say that the clubs need to be united against the AFL. He said there were enough problems facing Victorian clubs and they all needed to work together.

GENERAL NEWS

Colonial Cops it AgainThe management may have solved the ticketing and queue problems,b ut according to some players, the surface still is not in great shape. Collingwood's Jarrod Molloy and Eagle Mark Merenda are two of the critics. Molloy said it was the worst surface he has been on and Merenda said it was very bumpy. Cat Farry Hocking said it was unstable and uneven, causing players to fumble the ball more. He also the ground was very hard. Over the weekend, it was so bad that umpires could not bounce the ball in the center circle.

Dump Melee Rule, Says AFLPACEO Rob Kerr and president Brendon Gale both have agreed that the melee rule and inherent fines be scrapped. Both concur that too often players are fined because they are identified as being part of the "push and shove" crowd on video. An error, according to Kerr and Gale, as often those players are merely trying to pull others away from the incidents. Both also agree that in place of the melee rule, which would stop fines for "innocuous" incidents, players who really are have a stoush at one another should be reported on the more serious charge of wrestling. Kerr used the example of Richmond's Steve Sziller, who was fined $3000 under the melee rule, but, according to Kerr, was merely trying to pull a Bulldog player off a Tiger teammate. Kerr also believes fines meted out by the Tribunal should go to charity rather than back to the AFL.

MCG & Finals TalksOne of the issues the AFL is trying to work out with the MCC/MCG is that of its finals contract with the ground. The AFL wants to break its current deal, which stipulates that one final per weekend must be at the MCG. The AFL would now prefer a system which favors the appropriate team having the home ground advantage, even if it means two preliminary finals outside of Melbourne. Interstate clubs are strongly supporting the move, especially West Coast, who, over the years, has suffered because of this obligation. On more than one occasion, the Eagles, despite having the right to a home final because of their placings, have had to travel to Melbourne. The AFL believes that the 6 interstate teams should have the same finals rights as Victorian teams.

Australia vs Ireland, Jr.The junior Australian team played the junior Irish team in a curtain raiser to the Thursday night game between Essendon and Carlton. Australia won. The final score:Australia 1.18.13 (73)Ireland 2.10.7 (49)

The night before, Carlton's Steve Silvagni, who played in the hybrid game in 1998-99, presented the teams with their guernseys.

MILESTONES200 games -- Ashley McIntosh -- West Coast. McIntosh is set to become theeighth West Coast player to reach the 200-game mark since the club joinedthe league in 1987, joining Guy McKenna (267), Dean Kemp (235), Peter Matera(219), Chris Lewis (215), John Worsfold (209), Glen Jakovich (207) and ChrisMainwaring (201).

Club Record: Consecutive Matches - Daryn Cresswell, SydneyIt will be his 104th consecutive match, dating back to Round 17, 1996. The current club record for Sydney/South Melbourne is 103 consecutive matches, played by Brian McGowan from Round 6, 1958 through to his retirement after Round 18, 1963.

2000 games -- This weekend's match against the Kangaroos will be the 2000thfor Sydney/South Melbourne in AFL/VFL history. The club's current recordstands at 900 wins, 1080 losses and 19 draws.

In other cases, Collingwood's Jarrod Molloy was fined $600 for abusive language toward an umpire. He pleaded guilty to angrily confronting the umpire regarding a boundary decision.

Port's Josh Francou was cleared of striking Essendon's Michael Long. But teammate Darren Mead wasn't so lucky. He copped a week for tripping Bomber Jason Johnson. The club appealed the decision, Mead's defence being that he was trying to kick the ball away and was off-balance when Johnson went for it, and made contact with Johnson. But the appeal was dismissed and the suspension upheld.

And the club could soon have another "Dipper" in its ranks. 18 year old Dylan DiPierdomenico, son of champion Robert, is currently playing for Hawthorn's VFL team Box Hill.

FREMANTLEWas boosted by the earlier than expected return of forward Clive Waterhouse. He was not expected to be ready for at least 2 more weeks.

Rookie Ben Cunningham suffered a concussion in a car accident last week and missed this week. He was to replace the injured Steven Koops this weekend.

KANGAROOSWayne Carey made his long awaited return to the side this week, but Shannon Motlop was out injured.

Wayne Carey defended teammate Leigh Colbert against remarks made by former Cat Paul Couch in a newspaper column. Couch was critical of Colbert, saying he wasn't the player he used to be. But Carey went so far as to say that Colbert could be the next club captain and said that once Colbert gets over his injury problems, he be at his best on the field. Carey also said that Colbert left Geelong because he felt he was not getting the support of teammates when he was named captain. GEELONG

The economy, s drop in membership, and failure to attract an elite corporate sponsor has the club facing a shortfall of $500,000. CEO Brian Cook has already begun trimming $300,000 in administrative costs. The club has sold only 4300 Melbourne memberships, down from 7000 last year.

The club is preparing to announce its own plans for its Team of The Century.

David Wojcinski missed this week with injury.

MELBOURNERegained Jeff Farmer this week from injury.

SYDNEYMatthew Nicks returned to the side, replacing Stephen Doyle, who was down with a virus. Nicks has been dogged by a back problem and a broken thumb over the past 2 months.

Irish recruit Tadgh Kennelly has been elevated to the senior list, after just 12 months of learning the game in the SFL and VFL.

Good news for Stephen Tingay. He had another surgery last week on his troublesome hamstring and the surgeon discovered a small piece of floating bone which is believed to have been the cause of much of the pain Tingay was in. The surgeon said the bone had been pressing a nerve, causing the hip/buttock pain. Tingay has returned to Sydney from Melbourne for rehab.

Paul Kelly will also miss again this week with a hamstring which has failed to recover.

CARLTONThe charges of drunk and disorderly against Andrew Merrington and Matthew Lappin have been dropped. The court ruled that the 4 hours the pair spent in lockup was punishment enough. The club did fine them and ordered them to community service and to anger and alcohol management courses. Brendon Fevola, also involved in the jijinks, was not charged, but was also given the same punishment by the club.

Ruckman Matthew Allan is out for at least 10 weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot. He will be in a cast for the next six weeks. He said the foot had been sore for awhile, but he hoped he could nurse it through the season, but the pain became too great, even with padding during the game last week.

The club will hold a testimonial dinner/dance in honor of Steve Silvagni in May.

ST KILDAHas so far signed 20,000 members. Last year, they had just under 18,000.

Lost Max Hudghton to a hamstring injury, but regained Tony Delaney and Steve Lawrence. Damian Ryan spent several days in the hospital as a precaution against a neck injury he suffered last week. An MRI cleared him of serious injury, but he wore a neck brace all last week.Robert Powell strained a calf muscle at training last week and was sidelined this weekend.

BRISBANELuke Power was out with groin injury.

COLLINGWOODRecalled Anthony Rocca from the reserves. But Scott Burns and Andrew Ukovic are out 3 weeks each with hamstring strains.

WEST COASThas suffered another major injury blow. David Sierakowski, who injured a knee in Round 1 against Geelong, is out for the season. What was initially thought to be a minor injury that could be overcome with rehab has been discovered to be an ACL tear, requiring a reconstruction. Darren Glass is also out till midseason with an ankle injury. Michael Braun missed this week and will miss next week with a hamstring injury. The club did regain Dean Kemp and Phil Matera this week.

ADELAIDEPeter Vardy, recovering from summer knee surgery, returned to side this week. The club had planned to allow him some time in the SANFL, but his club had a bye this week and the Crows would have had to get special permission from the AFL to allow him to cross to a different team. Matthew Bode is out 3-4 weeks with a broken bone in his hand.Round 4 should see the return of Darren Jarman (knee), Andrew Eccles and Kane Johnson (hamstrings). Brett Burton (knee) will resume next week in the SANFL.

PORT ADELAIDEDefender Shane Bond is making a strong recovery from his knee reconstruction in the SANFL. He played a solid 3 terms for the Port Magpies last week, but is still about a month away from resuming in the seniors.

RICHMONDIs seeking financial assistance from the AFL and the Melbourne City Council for a planned $3.5 million redevelopment of its home at Punt Rd. A new building would house refurbished change, coaches, meeting, and medial and physical therapy rooms, training and warm-up areas, offices, and a heated swimming pool. The grandstand and social club would also be redone.

Nick Daffy is out for 6 weeks with a wrenched knee suffered in Round 2. He was replaced this week by Paul Broderick in his first game for the season.

Royce Vardy replaced Brad Ottens this week. Ottens remained sidelined with an ankle injury but should be back next week.

WESTERN BULLDOGSRookie Ashley Gilbee debuted this week. He replaced the suspended Tony Liberatore.

Here, There, and EverywhereA number of delisted AFL players have found their way to other teams in the various other leagues, some with hopes of being drafted next year by AFL clubs. Others may be content to stay where they are with the knowledge it is their only chance at continuing to play:

Ryan Pagan (KANG) and Jon Hassall (COL & HAW) are now with the Coburg Tigers in the VFL.Shane Watson and Frank Raso (COL) are with the Northern Bullants in the VFL.Sean Denham (ESS) and Josh Mahoney (COL & WB) are with Essendon's VFL club. Scott Allen (WB) has signed with Tasmania's VFL club.Peter Somerville (ESS) has been lured of retirement to play for North Ballarat. Former Eagle Chris Lewis and former Docker Trent Carroll are both at Claremont in the WAFL.Former Dockers Scott Chisholm, Matt Clucas, and Garry Dhurrkay are at South Fremantle in the WAFL.Former Eagle Craig Turley is at West Perth as a playing coach.Former Power rover Danny Morton has joined Norwood after a stint at North Adelaide in the SANFL. He is joined there by Brett James (COL & ADE) and Stephen Daniels (PA). South Adelaide has signed former Crow premiership players Kym Koster (team captain), Shane Ellen, and Clay Sampson.Paul Lindsay (GEEL) has joined Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFL.

GENERAL SILLINESSBrisbane Coach Leigh Matthews has come up with an interesting ploy for his players when they are practicing their goalkicking skills. A dummy goal umpire, complete with white hat is placed between the goal posts. Matthews reckons since there is always a goal umpire present during games, the dummy will help the players focus on the target better.

Good thing that Jeff Farmer and Ronnie Burns are both forwards and thus at opposite ends of the ground from one another. The two have become good friends off the field and its hard telling what would happen to their concentration on the game if they were within shouting distance of each other. The duo's cheeky wit was evident at a promotional press conference prior to the game this weekend. For example, here's Farmer talking about Burns' snapped goal, off the outside of his left foot, in the weekend's win over St Kilda. ``Obviously, he's such a talented player, they're the type of things he can do ... will you stop looking at me like that?'' the Demons forward suddenly said to Burns. ``He's a bit of an idiot off the field.''

Then there's Burns talking about his habit of waving his finger at the crowd in triumph after he kicks a goal. ``I prefer to do it when you're four or five goals up, not four goals down like Jeff does,'' he said. Burns said he always kept an eye on how Farmer was doing and if Farmer kicked 4 or 6 goals in a game, then he would try to equal or better the result. One might be forgiven thinking there were twins out on the ground this weekend, though, as Burns has copycatted Farmer's salute after kicking a goal.

Blue Brett Backwell says what he hates most about footy is filling out the annual personal profile. He also says that if he could phone someone during a quiz show, it would be Seven commentator Bruce McAvaney because "...what doesn't he know?"

Fremantle's Adrian Fletcher says, for a quiz show call, he would ring Collingwood prez Eddie McGuire for inside information.

Most players remember their first games at league level. Some memories are better than others. Melbourne's Arnold Briedis debuted against St. Kilda in 1972 and got bowled over by Saint strongman Carl Ditterich, suffered a broken arm, and missed 16 weeks.

In 1931, Percy Beames traveled down to Melbourne for his first game with the Demons. The club had arranged for him to stay in a boarding house. During the night, he heard a bit of laughing and giggling from the adjacent rooms only to discover the next day he had been staying in a bordello.

And an ironic twist of fate for these next three. Matthew Richardson debuted for the Tigers in 1993 against St. Kilda. His direct opponent is now his coach, Danny Frawley. Geelong's Justin Murphy got his first league kick against Essendon and his current coach, Mark Thompson.Brisbane's Luke Power grew up a Fitzroy fan and his hero was Paul Roos (who crossed from Fitzroy to Sydney in 1995). Power's debut match was against Sydney. Power says he nearly fell over when he saw Roos lining up against him. He got over the shock enough to manage a mark. He also kicked 3 goals and gathered 20 possessions against his boyhood idol.

Tiger Kevin Bartlett raced home to tell his folks the good news when he was selected for the first of his 403 games in 1965. Mom's reaction was, 'Bulls..t". No one believed the skinny 18-year old until they tuned in to a radio program that night to listen to the team lists being announced.

Melbourne's Robbie Flower and his family had to buy tickets into the ground because no one knew who he was. Carl Ditterich's wife was his English teacher at school and he called Carl, "Mr. Ditterich".

Current Melbourne defender Matt Whelan credits a run-in with a crocodile for his onfield courage. He and his sister were fishing near their home in the wilds of the Northern Territory when Whelan stepped on what he thought was a log. The croc turned and snapped at him and he took off at a dead run.

Speaking of running, Collingwood speedsters Leon Davis and Rhyce Shaw were direct opponents in the U-18s a few years ago. Davis' coach at the time said it was like watching Speedy Gonzalez and the Road Runner zipping down the wings. The lightly built Davis has admitted to getting pushed around a bit by bigger players during games but also said that "It's a good thing that they are big and slow and I'm small and fast".

This match was marketed by the Swans as "Boo A Roo", but the parochial Sydney fans were content to give their boys a standing ovation instead.The first two goals of the match went to King and McKernan to give the Roos a 13 point lead early in the first term. Persistence by the Swans had them trailing by just 4 points at 1/4 time. The Roos pulled ahead by 8 points midway through the second term. The Swan defence held firm as the others kept up the aggression at the contests. It paid off when a goal to Matthew Nicks gave Sydney a one point lead 10 minutes to half time. Enter Michael O'Loughlin - two goals late in the term gave the Swans a 14 point lead at 1/2 time and the momentum to break the game open in the third term. O'Loughlin and Cresswell goaded in the first three minutes to stretch the Swan lead to 27 points. The Roos hit back with two goals to Carey and another to Rocca to cut the lead to nine points. That's as close as they got for the Swans replied with goals to Maxfield, Ahmat, Crouch, and Schauble to effectively seal the match with a 28-point lead at 3/4 time. The Swans started the final term just as the did the previous three with goals to Ahmat, Cresswell, and Stafford to give them a 47-seven point lead. Seven more goals to the Kangaroos' one for the term buried the boys from Arden St.

A relatively even first term gave little indication of what was to come. After trailing by 8 points at 1/4 time, the Magpies lifted in the second term to match the Bulldogs with numbers at the ball and some precision disposals. Buckley again led the midfield but had plenty of help from his younger teammates and took a 10 point lead at 1/2 time. The Pies looked to be in trouble when McKee went off early in the 3rd term, but Anthony Rocca filled in admirably in the ruck with an impressive effort, winning some critical tap outs. The Bulldogs kicked the first goal of the third term and trailed by only four points early on. But then the Magpies ran riot, starting with Freeborn's running goal. Then Molloy was the beneficiary of a perfect Buckley kick from the center as the Magpie attack pressured the Bulldog defence. A goal to rookie Ryan Lonie gave the Pies a 6 goal break. 10 goals to one for the term had the Pies up by 65 points at 3/4 time. Two goals to start the final term had the Magpies up by 78 points before Robbins kicked one for the Dogs 10 minutes into the term. The rest of term was a low-scoring affair with Collingwood picking up 3 more goals and the Dogs just 2 more for the match.

The first half of this game was marred by skill errors from both sides as the Tigers to muster just a one pint lead at 1/4 time and Brisbane a 3 point lead at 1/2 time. The Tigers roared into action in the third term, kicking 8 goals to 2 for a 34-point lead at 3/4 time. But Brisbane came back in the final term with 4 goals in the opening minutes to cut the lead to 12 points. But the Tiger defence continued to repel Lion attacks after that as Brisbane could muster just two more for the term as Richmond grabbed 4 of their own to hold onto the win.

The Blues were already underdogs going into this match but when captain Craig Bradley and champions Stephen Silvagni and Anthony Koutoufides were late withdrawals, adding to the absence of ruckman Matthew Allan, it appeared Essendon had to do little more than turn up to win. Carlton started well to be two goals up midway through the first term. Familiar scenario. Usually, it's here the Bombers begin an unstoppable avalanche to destroy the opposition. Sure, the Bombers got goals through Barnard, Misiti, and Lloyd to take the lead, but the Blues fought back and Houlihan's goal late in term put Carlton within a point a 1/4 time. Essendon came back in the second term, but just barely. The Blues effectively flooded the backline to stymie the Bombers. A one goal lead late in the term lasted only until Matthew Lappin snaffled the ball 75 meters out, saw no one ahead of him, did a blind turn, and roosted a torpedo that landed 5 meters short and bounced through to level the scores. Lloyd's third goal for the term was the difference at 1/2 time. The Bombers looked set to finally crush Carlton as they shot to a 3 goal lead to start the 3rd term. But again the Blues came back as a goal to Fevola gave them a brief lead before Essendon took it back by 11 points at 3/4 time. Lloyd's 5th goal courtesy of a crucial error by Murray Vance, opened the final term and gave Essendon a 17 point lead. Carlton again hit back and hit back hard. Goals to the tireless Camporeale, Fevola, and Ryan Houlihan brought the Blues back within a point and suddenly they had built all the momentum. Ratten's goal midway through the term gave the Blues the lead once more and this time they did not relinquish it. Shortly after, Fletcher converted from a strong pack mark and then Whitnall got his solo shot late in the term to clinch the win. Bomber skipper James Hird struggled to make an impact against close-checking Simon Beaumont and Scott Lucas was benched in the third quarter after being thrashed by Kris Massie.

Port always looked the better in this match, scoring 2.2 to Adelaide's solitary point until Robran posted the Crows' first goal midway through the term. But the Power hit back when Josh Carr scored his second goal for the quarter and Wanganeen booted his first to hand Port a 19-point lead. Another point gave Port a 20-point lead at 1/4 time. Adelaide managed to hold Port and matched their crosstown rivals goal for goal in the 2nd term and trailed by that same margin at 1/2 time. Port belted the Crows in the 3rd term with 8 goals to 4 to lead by 7 goals minus a point at 3/4 time to set up victory. The Power again doubled the Crows' scoring in the final term 6 goals to 3 to take an overall 5-4 lead in the SA showdowns. The 65-point win was Port's second-highest score and its biggest winning margin over the Crows. Primus and Stevens played some inspirational footy while the Crows lost Mark Ricciuto at 1/4 time with a virus which was affecting his breathing.

WHEN West Coast chose 29-year-old Troy Wilson in this year's pre-season draft, rival AFL clubs privately believed the Eagles had simply wasted their selection on a player considered too old to break into league ranks. Now those same rival clubs will be anxiously coming up with strategies to stop the big forward, who in only his third game today virtually beat St Kilda single-handedly. Wilson took 15 marks and kicked seven goals as the Eagles won their first game of the season. Wilson, who didn't even play footy until just 5 years ago, dismissed 4 opponents - Barry Hall, Justin Plapp, Mark Gale and Aaron Hamill. Combined with Phil Matera, Andrew Williams, and Mark Merenda, the Eagles looked to have a forward line nearly equal to Essendon's. Hall was disappointing again, as was Peter Everitt, and Saint fans weren't too keen on Fraser Gehrig either as he received a Bronx cheer when he finally took a mark late in the game.

Hawthorn should have had this game wrapped up in the first term, but a serious case of goal yips gave the Dockers a fighting chance. The Dockers could have had a minor lead at 1/4 time, but missed two easy shots for goal themselves and trailed by 4 points at 1/4 time. Then the Hawks got the advantage with Rehn doing well in the ruck and Crawford shining in the midfield. Again, it was the tall timber of the Hawks which made the difference. 5 goals to 2 in the 2nd term gave Hawthorn a 21 point break at the half. The Dockers did themselves no favors when one of those goals came to Barker via a 50-meter penalty. Barker arrogantly waved the ball at several Dockers as he was lining up for goal after a minor "push and shove". Danny Metropolis took exception to this and flattened Barker after he goaled. The umpire had no choice but award a 50-meter penalty, putting Barker dead in front for a second shot. The Dockers rallied with goals to Modra, McManus, and Justin Longmuir to get within 9 points midway through the 3rd term.The final chance for the Dockers to gain any momentum was snuffed out when Waterhouse and McManus collided in the forward line while going for the ball, giving the Hawks a chance to clear it out to McPharlin, who promptly converted from 40 meters. From there the momentum was back in the Hawks' favor and they were able to run away in the final quarter adding two goals and keeping the Dockers scoreless as Modra and Waterhouse both kicked the ball out on the full from the half forward flank.Both sides rotated their midfields in the humid 80 degree weather and ice vests were evident. Even at 3/4 time, both sides were mere meters away from each other's huddles as everyone sought a bit of respite in the shade of a light tower.

INJURY: MELB - White (wrenched knee); GEEL - Snell (broken leg, dislocated ankle)Snell has already had surgery on the leg and will be out for 3 months. And he has the dubious honor of being the first player driven from the field on the new AFL-sanctioned motorised buggy.

Peter Walsh's job of holding Ronnie Burns to just 3 goals went a long way to helping the Demons to a win. Then again, Geelong's loss could have been worse if Sanderson hadn't done a better job on Farmer. Melbourne was the better team even though the Cats matched them pretty well for most of the game, being down a goal at 1/4 time and 7 points at the half. The Demon defence was superior at sharing and running the ball with 33 handballs and 49 defensive rebounds in its defensive 50m, compared to the Geelong defenders who had just three handballs in their danger zone and 39 defensive rebounds. Brent Grgic and Anthony Ingerson had a combined 22 disposals in the Demons' defensive 50m and 13 rebounds. The Demons had 76 effective short kicks and 89 uncontested marks to the Cats' 46 short kicks and 58 uncontested marks. SHANE Woewodin won eight hard and four looseball gets and finished with 27 disposals. David Clarke won seven looseball gets and had 12 thrusts into the Cats' forward 50m. Woewodin was dominant in the midfield and later rotated with Farmer up forward to give Framer a run on the ball. He even had the goal of the day when he scooped the ball back in against the flow of play, turned on a heel and goaled from 50. Peter Riccardi shadowed him early, but with little luck. Milburn and Hocking were solid in the first term but were eventually placed elsewhere due to the oppressive heat. Andrew Leoncelli was not far behind Woewodin, while Anthony McDonald picked up 25 touches in the second and third quarters alone. The Cats clung on in the 3rd term to be two goals down at 3/4 time. They even got within nine and two points at various stages in the final term. But the Cat attack was severely hampered when Nietz moved from the forward line to CHB. No big loss to the Demon forward line as they had Bruce and Green to take up the slack. But the Cats also were let down by their own kicking for goal with White missing two sitters and Bizzell kicking 0.5 for the match. Schwarz had the better of Ben Graham while King and Jeff White broke even in the ruck. White had the better of King in the air, but King was better at ground level.

Ansett NomineeKangaroo Daniel Harris is the Round 2 Rising Star nominee. He picked up 24 possessions, 15 of which were contested at ground level, in the loss to the Lions and had 7 center square clearances.

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